WARNING: IN NO WAY IS THIS POST WRITTEN TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO FASTER, IT IS ONLY TO SEE WHAT SPEED MEMBERS HAVE REACHED AND TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON IT.

well the subject says it all. anyone ever had a crash at high speed? what do you recommend doing (e.g. trying to roll as opposed to slide)

My top speed is 78km/hr, and once I went down a long as hill, and came over the brow of the hill @ 15, tucked myself down and coasted. The bike just kept accelerating for ages right up to 70km/hr!! Not bad for coasting aye?

trying to roll is a good thing. However, if you crash too fast, I'm not sure how easy it will be to actually pull it off. I slid in a 40km/h crash a couple of years ago (after bouncing off my head), it hurt.

Managed 48 mph down the backside of a couple of the mountains in Colorado last year (Wolf Creek & Slumgullion passes). Was very nice. All one needed to do to slow down was to sit up and use the wind as a brake. This brought the speed down to 33-34 mph. Never was able to hit 50 mph, but 48 seemed pretty fast. Biggest problem was the wind made my eyes water at this speed. Definitely want to have good vision when flying down the mountain. Great Fun!

Oh yeah, my max speed of all time - 84km/h. Would certainly have been faster but for that idiot who put a sharp corner at the bottom of that 22% hill. No matter, I prefer riding up it anyway.

48 mph, down hill withtail wind in bike race in TX (one of the best experiences I've ever had on a bicycle). It was an out and back course - return speed, up hill and headwind - 12 mph

Zack

Max speed :: 45 MPH

Speed of bike during my only crash so far :: 25 MPH - ended up rolling. Didn't really have much of a choice. I don't recommend dismounting your bike at that speed.

I hit 50 on a downhill in a tour that I do every year called, the Columbus Fall Challange..That was quite an expierence for me, very neat!!.


Benjamin

I have a nice hill about a mile from where I live, once for a cheap thrill I strapped on a 56 tooth chain ring, wound 'er up and hit 54 mph.

54mph, sweet; nothin' cheap about that, man ...

There are two types of cyclists: The ones who've crashed and the ones who will crash.

Being a charter member of the "who've crashed club" I would say that despite the suggestions offered in Bicycling Magazines you don't really have a choice on rolling or sliding... physics will dictate what happens and it's different for different types of crashes at different speeds. In most cases short of an endo, you'll either land on your hip, lower leg or shoulder while still attached to your bike at the pedals and let me tell you -- you don't slide far once you're on the asphalt.

The "roll" that's talked about assumes you've gone head first over your handlebars (e.g., endo) and the basic suggestion is don't: a) stick your arms out like superman or you'll break your wrist before you do a face plant, OR b) keep your head up with your hands on the bars otherwise you'll basically end up like Kivilev. Therefore, the instinct you'll want to develop is tucking you chin into your chest to give you the best chance of minimizing a severe head or face injury.

Fastest speed on a bike during a crash: 26mph buried in a racing pack where a lead rider clipped a rear wheel. Gloves saved the palms of my hands, lost all the skin on my left lower leg, 1' diameter deep bruise on my hip along with some serious abrasions and a permanent chain ring tooth pattern scar on my right rear gluts -- this from the bicycle rider behind me who tried to "bunny hop" the mele and ended up with a broken collar bone when he endo'd on his landing.

As for max bike speeds: 54mph on a single bike and 63mph on our tandem (40 - 50mph is common on any ride with a descent). What do you think about at those speeds to keep you safe? "What if" a car pulled out in front of me and "what if" I flatted a tire -- what would I do and where would I go?

I chicken out at 40MPH. That is the speed where my mind stops thinking about the road and starts wondering about fork failure, a sudden flat, a car pulling out, an unseen pothole, a patch of gravel on the shoulder, a pack of javalina running into the road (or coyotes, take your pick), etc.. I suppose if the road were really smooth that number might rise a little but I have yet to find a smooth steep hill around here. BTW I hit this barrier at 100 on a motorcycle. Guess I am a lame- o. Perhaps this is because of past crashes. Luckily I have only had sprains and not broken bones, I did hit a car going 30 when I was young and more stupid (my bike racks were full of newspapers which exploded everythere when my rack clipped the car which suddenly stopped in front of us). I ended up flying through the air over my handlebars and landed about 15 feet down the road. My leg caught a truck bumper on the way.

I got up to 43 mph on a 6% downhill... it was nice jsut to coast a bit downhill, before the 10% uphill to my house...

Jeff

Are we talking road bikes or mountain bikes? Road bikes seem to have a perpensity for going faster than maountains. Anyways, i've been 42mph on a mountain bike on a long gradual decline that was straight, it's pretty weird "steering" that fast.

52.7 during a descent in a race. Otherwise I keep it under 40mph during training/fun rides. Sometimes if the road is straight I will go a bit faster, but the thought of something happening and causing a crash keeps me from doing somethign to dumb.

I hit 47mph on my MTB last year descending a 20% hill. Does not make up for the 5mph speed going up it for 8 miles.

Hit 62 MPH in 1997 going down from Newfound gap in the great smokey mountains National park for a short stretch. Had the 53/11 spun out as fast as my legs could turn and then tucked in and held on for the ride.

I have rarely gotten over 50 since then because it is so nerve racking. At that speed you start scanning the surface for any possible object that might blow a tire.

I hit 36 mph down a hill near my road. Now I feel left out.

And I imagine at that speed, by the time you identify the object as a threat, you're already past it, so there's no point. . . just fly and hope - LOL!

i'm novice bike rider... i've hit 45.1KM/h on the road... my first time on the road too...

i waited for red light... and went to the other side where no cars were... then just PEDALED like crazy... switched gears (i have 12 on this bike...) to the fastest one... looked at my computer... boom.. 40+KM/h.... i couldn't believe i was doing it...

edit: just learned how to read... this old bike is a Giant Perigee... dun ask how old... i've searched the net with no luck...

I hit 47mph ~78KPH a few weeks ago drafting behind a moving truck (not reccomended). I was able to hold that speed for only 3 miles, I was spent! I spun out at 158 rpm (52 / 13). I also over shot my turn off by a block and a half, i couldnt get the bike to slow down!

All time top speed was 58mph, coming down american fork canyon with a stiff tail wind.

58.8 MPH riding the off road tandem with my ex wife..... hmmmm

fastest speed

48 mph, was on a downhill of a local mtn here, would have gone faster but it was extremly windy that day and I decided it wasn't safe to go much faster than that

42mph downhill on my road bike on a back road in Lee County, SC
32mph on a flat in a paceline on Hilton Head Island, SC
35mph is the best I've ever got out of my MTB going down a bridge near Parris Island USMCRD

Yes, hope and pray. To go fast on descents takes some big nuts like this little guy...

I got up to 44.6 mph going down a local hill on my last group ride. I'm new to the sport so thoughts of blowing a tire don't really enter my mind. I'm sure it will once I crash during a descent.

I once hit 51 MPH on an old Schwinn Circuit in a semi-residential area in San Clemente CA. I made a few passes of the same hill and that was the best I could attain. I don't have the nerve to go that fast again, but occassionally as I'm driving along in the minivan, I glance at the speedometer as it hits 51 MPH, a little grin appears on my face thinking about the good old days. Gino